Aminet 41/Aminet 41 (2001)(Schatztruhe)[!][Feb 2001].iso/Aminet/game/role/gsnband.lha/GSNband203/gsnfaq.txt

Text File | 1999-12-23 | 11KB | 220 lines

Q: So what is that GSNband game I keep hearing about?

A: GSNband is my own attempt to enhance ZAngband, a well-known Angband clone
   by Topi Ylinen and Robert Ruehlmann, with a number of features and
   breakthrough additions (like the ARCN, see below). As it were, I also
   went from a state of C illiteracy to a decent command of that language
   (but not the details of each operating system I happen to use) while
   working on the game.

Q: You don't mind if I'm misspelling the name, do you?

A: Well, I do. The rule is that the first three letters are upper- and the
   remaining four lowercase. The first part is an acronym (initials) and
   should not be lowercased. The second part should not be uppercased to
   avoid the impression of having something to do with music.

   GSNband is pronounced /geh-seh-nband/, with the last syllabe close
   to the English word (although it derives, in fact, from Sindarin).

   Why isn't it called GSNAngband? Probably because that name would be too
   long, but also to avoid suggesting that the name of Angband is my
   creation.

Q: What is the legal status of GSNband?

A: GSNband is free software; it can be distributed according to the rules
   laid long ago by Robert A. Koeneke for his (U)Moria game. See version.txt
   in the ../lib/help directory for details (free distribution for non-
   commercial purposes providing the copyright notices are retained
   throughout the game). Source code should be made available together
   with any compiled binaries, but this isn't strictly mandatory.

   If you plan to put GSNband on a cover CD-ROM or similar wide-range
   medium, please inform me in advance. You DO NOT have to ask me for
   permission, but it's polite anyway. Same rules apply if you write a
   review of GSNband and put it in printed press or on a Web page.

Q: Can I modify GSNband?

A: Yes, but if you make any significant changes, please distribute this
   as your own variant (with the provisions regarding copyright applying
   as above). You MAY distribute changed info files, quest definitions,
   and anything that is easily editable without need for the source code;
   please note, however, where the files come from.
   You may use ideas and algorithms found in the game, both those deriving
   from me and from previous layers. You may use the actual code providing
   you do not strip those -GSN- marks found in comments.

Q: Why is GSNband so slow?

A: GSNband is a complex and complicated game; the sources take well over 4 MB
   of code. Game speed is comparable to ZAngband's, since the inside engine
   is virtually the same. On Intel platforms, you'd probably need at least
   8 MB to play at decent speed; lower values might work for you, but there's
   no guarantee. The CPU should be a 486 or better; 386 (DX models only) is
   supported, but probably works awfully slow.

   For the Acorn port, you need at least 5 MB of memory (4 for a squeeze).
   For Amigas, 2 MB seems to be the absolute minimum.

   If you notice that the game is greatly slowed by wilderness generation,
   you can use the vanilla-like town option at startup. It also has
   an impact on your final score.

Q: Why are there no tiles? They used to be there in previous releases.

A: The reason is that I added a lot of monsters which do not have tiles.
   This makes gameplay weird, especially if you have a mixed group of
   tiled and non-tiled monsters.

   Another reason is that I'm not a big fan of the tiles - as they stand
   now. The 8x8 tiles are not even worth considering. The 16x16 tiles
   by Adam Bolt are somewhat better, and actually playable if you strain
   your sight a lot, but the colours are too sombre and some monsters
   do not differ quite well. Also, their scaling is horrible.

   Nb. if you're playing on a platform other than Intel, you might have
   tiles available; providing this a courtesy of the person who
   compiled the binary. I can offer no help/advice with whatever
   problems you might have due to their work.

Q: Shouldn't GSNband take place in Beleriand?

A: Yes, it should (if you dispense with the inconsistent storyline and
   cast of characters). The problem is that the maximum size for
   the wilderness is not known with any certainity, nor is their
   impact on memory requirements. 20x20 wilderness is probably the
   safest we can get; anything larger would drastically increase memory
   consumption, meaning less people can play the game. And it is rather
   hard to squeeze the whole Beleriand in a 20x20 grid.

Q: Ok, so what's that world there in the game?

A: A fictional one. It has no name (neither has ZAngband's; it does not
   pretend to be Amber). The idea is to have 2-3 bigger towns with
   quests and several small villages scattered around which do not have
   all the buildings (you start in one, for example). More towns will
   be added as the game develops.

   Of course if you don't like the wilderness you can play the old
   vanilla-like town (sadly, it is non-random)

Q: What's the ARCN? Why isn't it in the binary game?

A: Automatic Roman Character Numeration, or ARCN, is a system which
   keeps track of the descendants your original named character has
   spawned (as shown by the number of subsequent deaths), and appends
   a Roman numeral each time a new character of that name is created.
   Changing the name resets the counter.

   The ARCN isn't part of the binary releases of GSNband, because I
   don't want people to get annoyed at the game putting weird stuff
   in the characters' names for them. If you want to use ARCN, you
   probably know how to compile the game anyway; #define ARCN in
   config.h to include it in the game. Nb. non-Intel compilers of
   the game might have done this for you, so direct any protests
   to them.

Q: How is the score calculated?

A: Basic score is calculated as experience + level_score * max_lvl, where
   level_score is the average level difficulty generated, and max_lvl is
   the deepest level reached.

   Then the basic score is multiplied by a percentage factor which is
   calculated as follows:

   * For each mutation, -10% (exception beastmen and CW), up to -80%
   * If using maximize mode, -10%
   * If using preserve mode, -15%
   * If using vanilla town, +30%
   * If using hard quests, +30%
   * If allowing small levels, +20% (if always generating small levels,
     add 50% instead)
   * If allowing arena levels, +10%
   * If allowing unfair monsters, +50%
   * If autoscumming, -50%
   * If monsters are behaving stupidly, -50%
   * Monster AI options are worth 20% each if on
   * If using damageable items, +20%
   * If using damageable artifacts, +120% (greater risk)

   If sum of the above would fall below 5%, 5% is used instead.

   Finally, if you're playing Ironman, the final score is doubled.

   (the highest score multiplier you can get is therefore 340%; it will
    give the inital score of about 170 for someone who has just entered
    the dungeon. Similar results of 100-300 points depending on race and
    class are obtained with ADOM)

   Finally, the cost of all identified and non-storebought items the
   character is carrying, divided by 10, is added. Items possessed at
   the start of the game are considered storebought.

Q: My wrists hurt a lot when playing the game. Should I take precautions?

A: Yes, you should. Repetitive strain on wrists (which results from a badly
   placed keyboard, for example) can lead to serious injury of the wrist
   ligaments called the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. If you feel your wrists
   are strained, here is an exercise posted by Jason Maskell in
   rec.games.roguelike.angband which might help:

   ``Hold your arms out horizontally, make a fist, and then point
   the fist towards the floor, as much as you can. This will
   stretch one sides tendons. Hold for 5 seconds. Then make a
   flat hand and hold it level with your arm, hold for 5 seconds.
   Now splay your fingers and attempt to make your hand point
   toward the ceiling (this one is hard, so don't push it too
   much). You should feel your tendons stretching. Repeat this a
   few times. Take frequent breaks and do this if it starts to hurt
   a little bit. I was sliding very fast towards CTS and this
   corrected it.''

Q: (for Polish readers) Czy jest jakas dokumentacja po polsku?

A: Nie ma. Wychodze z zalozenia ze kazdy kto chce sie bawic w roguelike
   zna angielski na tzw. poziomie. Tlumaczenie dokumentacji i listy zmian
   za kazdym razem gdy cos jest dodawane strasznie wydluzyloby czas pracy
   nad gra. Nie mowiac juz o tym ze sporo ficzerow i innych elementow
   Angbandowego slangu trudno oddac po polsku.

Q: What are the future expansion plans?

A: It is hard to tell. I'm trying to keep a balance between a standard
   vanilla-like game and a CRPG close to ADOM. I'm much for the former
   style; however, vanilla bores me after a while with its monotony.
   OTOH Angband evolved into a complex scenario with plots and NPCs would
   be a denial of the very core of the game and probably not fun either.

   Things scheduled to be done sometime include, in no particular order:

   * (Some sort of) skill system, with some skills being useful in dungeon
     only, some in wilderness, and some in both
   * More types of quests, eg. "escort a friendly creature", "find a
     specific item", "deliver an item to somewhere", "sack rival
     town/village"
   * Thematic dungeon levels. Towns in dungeons. Real shops and shopkeepers
     (very, very hard to balance due to easy escape means available)
   * Varied terrain in vaults + more types of terrain. Improving f_info
     to eliminate need for macros defining terrain characteristics
   * Throwing out the seventy-five Half-foo races and adding some
     interesting ones (but NOTHING overly weird).
   * Small dungeon levels should have less monsters created, no groups etc.
     (needs making the MIN_M_ALLOC_LEVEL constant into a variable)
   * Messages which tell the player what to expect on the level (tie
     this to perception skill?)
   * More slays and other egos. Ego items should probably be rarer and
     quest rewards should not be a guaranteed ego item
   * More inventory slots like braces, girdles, kneecaps? (note problems
     with equippy chars)
   * Bags, boxes and other containers?
   * Multiple dungeons? (note that this moves the game dangerously towards
     CRPG)
   * Random non-wieldable items with spell activations? (requires universal
     'spell index')
   * Books (small booklets as opposed to large tomes) to learn spells from?
     Or maybe skills?